The Covid-19 pandemic is not over, but the world has been shocked by the discovery of a new disease. The new disease is mysterious acute hepatitis whose origin is unknown and has begun to attack Indonesia. The Ministry of Health confirmed that there were 15 cases strongly suspected of being infected with the disease.
Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that dozens of cases of suspected acute hepatitis were spread in various parts of Indonesia.
Nadia explained that some of these areas are DKI Jakarta, West Sumatra, East Java, West Java, and Bangka Belitung.
Although Nadia did not elaborate further on the number of cases in each province, the symptoms experienced by dozens of children tended to be similar. Symptoms experienced include fever, diarrhea, dark-colored urine, to pale stools.
“All of them are hospitalized. Some are treated as regular inpatients, some are being treated in the ICU,” he explained.
Previously, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the number of hepatitis cases in Indonesia had now reached 15, an increase from the three previously reported cases on April 27.
Budi said that in the world, the highest cases of acute hepatitis occurred in the UK as many as 115 cases. It also occurred in Italy, Spain, and the United States.
The government has also coordinated with the CDC in the United States and Britain. From the meeting, it was concluded that it was not known exactly what virus caused the disease.
From the joint research conducted, Budi conveyed that the disease was most likely from adenovirus strain 41. However, it turned out that there were also many cases without the virus.
“So we are still doing research together with Britain and America on what causes it,” he explained.
The death of six children
Previously, a mysterious case of acute hepatitis in Indonesia caused the death of six children. Of the six cases, three deaths were found in DKI Jakarta, one in Tulungagung, one in Solok, and the last one in Medan.
Three cases of death in DKI Jakarta were reported in an advanced stage when they arrived at the hospital. The three pediatric patients were aged two years, eight years, and eleven years, respectively.
The case of death reported in Tulungagung Regency occurred in a seven-year-old child. The case of death reported in Solok occurred in a 2-month-old baby.
Most recently, the case of death reported in Medan, North Sumatra occurred in a seven-year-old child. The patient had undergone treatment at the Santa Elisabeth Hospital in Medan.
